Methodology

The research behind Ratio

Structured interviews rank first among hiring methods in the 2022 Sackett meta-analysis. They predict because they fix the two things that vary most from one interview to the next: which questions get asked, and how the answers get scored. This page covers what the research counts as structure, and how RATE handles the scoring half.

Michael Day, Co-Founder and CEO

17 years in agency recruiting at Robert Half, Adecco, and Frank Recruitment Group. About Ratio LinkedIn

Published Updated

Read the RATE frameworkSee a sample interview kit
The Research

Reduce bias with the same questions and the same scoring

Decades of research say the same thing: unstructured interviews predict job performance at less than half the rate of structured ones, and structured interviews produce among the smallest group differences of any top hiring method (Sackett et al., 2022).

Most Companies

Unstructured Interviews

When it comes to predicting job success, unstructured interviews land at less than half the rate of structured ones.

  • Focus on vibes, not skills
  • Lack consistency, especially across larger teams
  • Reward good talkers and hitting it off
Weak predictorr = .19 (Sackett et al., 2022)
What the Research Supports

Structured Interviews

Consistent questions. Written criteria. Skills-based evaluation.

2.2x

more predictive, backed by decades of organizational research

Strong predictorr = .42 (Sackett et al., 2022)

Source: Sackett, Zhang, Berry & Lievens (2022), Journal of Applied Psychology.

Three Pillars

What makes an interview structured

Structure is a set of separate choices, not one switch. The standard review (Campion, Palmer, and Campion, 1997) lists fifteen, split between how questions are built and how answers are scored. Teams usually adopt the question half and skip the scoring half, which is where most of the benefit lives.

Different conversations

Standardized questions

Every candidate gets the same questions, in the same order, from every interviewer.

Can you describe a time you had to push non-finance colleagues for missing month-end data?Define the jobReview skillsInterview stages4QuestionsEMReview interview questionsEvery question maps to a skill and carries its own RATE checklist.ScreeningHiring ManagerSME InterviewMonth-End CloseInternal ControlsFinancial ReportingCost AccountingMS Dynamics NAVMS ExcelProblem-SolvingCross-Functional AlignmentMust-haveCore CompetencyIntermediateBehavioralCan you describe a time you had to push non-financecolleagues for missing month-end data?Did the candidate:RGive specific info or an exampleAExplain their method or thinkingTWeigh the tradeoffs or tough partsEDiscuss the outcomeRegenerateEditMust-haveDomain KnowledgeIntermediateBehavioralDid the candidate:RGive specific info or an exampleAExplain their method or thinkingTWeigh the tradeoffs or tough partsEDiscuss the outcomeRegenerateEditMust-haveDomain KnowledgeIntermediateBehavioralDid the candidate:RGive specific info or an exampleAExplain their method or thinkingTWeigh the tradeoffs or tough partsEDiscuss the outcomeRegenerateEdit

Shifting standards, gut feel

Defined evaluation criteria

Interviewers score against the same four RATE components to help with adoption.

Did the candidate: R give specific info or an example, A explain their method or thinking, T weigh the tradeoffs or tough parts, E discuss the outcomeDefine the jobReview skillsInterview stages4QuestionsEMReview interview questionsEvery question maps to a skill and carries its own RATE checklist.ScreeningHiring ManagerSME InterviewMonth-End CloseInternal ControlsFinancial ReportingCost AccountingMS Dynamics NAVMS ExcelProblem-SolvingCross-Functional AlignmentMust-haveCore CompetencyIntermediateBehavioralCan you describe a time you had to push non-financecolleagues for missing month-end data?Did the candidate:RGive specific info or an exampleAExplain their method or thinkingTWeigh the tradeoffs or tough partsEDiscuss the outcomeRegenerateEditMust-haveDomain KnowledgeIntermediateBehavioralDid the candidate:RGive specific info or an exampleAExplain their method or thinkingTWeigh the tradeoffs or tough partsEDiscuss the outcomeRegenerateEditMust-haveDomain KnowledgeIntermediateBehavioralDid the candidate:RGive specific info or an exampleAExplain their method or thinkingTWeigh the tradeoffs or tough partsEDiscuss the outcomeRegenerateEdit

Generic question banks

Job-relevant content

Questions map to the 8-12 skills that predict success in this role, at this seniority.

Up next: 5 Cost Accounting, 6 MS Dynamics NAV, 7 MS ExcelScreening interview · Priya RamanQuestion 4 of 818:24End interviewMust-haveCore CompetencyIntermediateBehavioralCan you describe a time you had to pushnon-finance colleagues for missing month-end data?Did the candidate:Show follow upsGive specific info or an exampleRelevanceExplain their method or thinkingApproachWeigh the tradeoffs or tough partsTrade-offsDiscuss the outcomeEvidenceYour evaluationClear3 of 4 · MeetsNext questionNotesUp next5Cost Accounting6MS Dynamics NAV7MS Excel8Problem-Solving
RATE Framework

How RATE scores an interview answer

Screening keeps RATE light and fast for generalist recruiters. Deeper rounds press harder on Trade-offs and Evidence. The rubric never changes, so nobody has to learn a new one.

R

Relevance

Did they name specifics? Real tools, actual numbers, a concrete situation. Not vague generalities.

A

Approach

Did they describe what they personally did? "I decided" and "I built," not "the team handled it."

T

Trade-offs

Did they name what made it hard? The trade-off, the constraint, the thing that forced a tough call.

E

Evidence

Can they prove it worked? An outcome, a metric, a change that stuck.

Selected evidence: Called the plant controller directly, did the upload herself, closed on day four. Wrote the upload guide the next month.MY JOBSNeeds Attention (3)Active (5)Drafts (2)ArchivedPost-interview review · Julian ZimmermanScreening · Elena Marsh · Shared with the hiring teamRead-onlyMust-haveCore CompetencyIntermediateCan you describe a time you had to push non-finance colleaguesfor missing month-end data?SELECTED EVIDENCE“Called the plant controller directly, did the upload herself,closed on day four. Wrote the upload guide the next month.”YOUR EVALUATION3 of 4· Meets expectations for IntermediateAnchored to the Intermediate-level RATE rubric for this skill.Interviewer notesSkills assessedMonth-End Close92%Internal Controls88%Financial Reporting74%Cost Accounting90%
Your evaluation: three of four stars, meets expectations for IntermediateMY JOBSNeeds Attention (3)Active (5)Drafts (2)ArchivedPost-interview review · Julian ZimmermanScreening · Elena Marsh · Shared with the hiring teamRead-onlyMust-haveCore CompetencyIntermediateCan you describe a time you had to push non-finance colleaguesfor missing month-end data?SELECTED EVIDENCE“Called the plant controller directly, did the upload herself,closed on day four. Wrote the upload guide the next month.”YOUR EVALUATION3 of 4· Meets expectations for IntermediateAnchored to the Intermediate-level RATE rubric for this skill.Interviewer notesSkills assessedMonth-End Close92%Internal Controls88%Financial Reporting74%Cost Accounting90%

Trade-offs separate a senior hire from everyone else

The Trade-offs anchor stays fixed at every level. What changes is the question: senior candidates get more ambiguity, consequence, and competing constraints.

Read the full RATE frameworkSee RATE applied to a real role
Question Types

Behavioral, situational, and applied-skills questions: which to use for which skill

Hard skills use Applied Skills & Knowledge (ASK) questions, domain knowledge uses Situational, and core competencies use Behavioral. The recruiter always listens through the same four lenses.

Behavioral Questions

"Tell me about a time..."
RProvide a real example
AExplain what they did
TDiscuss the tradeoff
EShare the outcome

ASK Questions

"How would you handle..."
RGive specific detail
AExplain their approach
TDiscuss the tradeoff
EDescribe what good looks like

Situational Questions

"What would you do if..."
RGive specific detail
AExplain their approach
TDiscuss the tradeoff
EDescribe what good looks like

Simplified examples. Every Ratio question is tailored to the skills and seniority of your role, with no generic templates. How a kit gets built, step by step, is on the product page.

Sources

References

RATE unifies three frameworks from assessment science. The RATE page sets out which one maps to which lens.

See the frameworks RATE unifies

  1. 1.

    Sackett, P. R., Zhang, C., Berry, C. M., & Lievens, F. (2022). Revisiting meta-analytic estimates of validity in personnel selection. Journal of Applied Psychology. The most current meta-analysis of hiring methods, confirming structured interviews as the strongest predictor of job performance.

  2. 2.

    Huffcutt, A. I., & Arthur, W. (1994). Hunter and Hunter revisited: Interview validity for entry-level jobs. Journal of Applied Psychology. Established that structured interviews outperform unstructured ones across job levels.

  3. 3.

    McDaniel, M. A., Whetzel, D. L., Schmidt, F. L., & Maurer, S. D. (1994). The validity of employment interviews: A comprehensive review and meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology. Confirmed that situational and behavioral questions produce the most valid interview scores.

  4. 4.

    Webb, N. L. (1997). Criteria for alignment of expectations and assessments in mathematics and science education. Council of Chief State School Officers and National Institute for Science Education. The cognitive complexity taxonomy that RATE uses to calibrate question difficulty by seniority level.

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